Chapter 1 – A chance meeting?
Alessia sipped her double-espresso slowly, savouring the strong flavour and the sweet aroma as she gazed absent-mindedly out of the window, watching the passers-by on the walkway outside the coffee shop. It was approaching mid-day so she had chosen to sit inside out of the heat.
After having just watched the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, Alessia found herself wondering why she had not been to her local tennis club for so long. She was still a fully paid-up member, but with one thing and another she just hadn’t found the time. (And she had avoided it for a while after the incident with the champagne bottle, but we won’t go there!) Alessia was actually a fairly accomplished player, having had professional coaching from her early teens and had competed in regional tournaments to a high standard. However, life has that awkward habit of getting in the way, so the tennis had been put on the back burner for a while. Obviously she still kept herself super-fit, with running and swimming, but she did miss the competition and the social side of the club, it was just finding the time.
The timing was really quite serendipitous as the ending of Wimbledon coincided with a change in Alessia’s working arrangements which meant that most Saturday afternoons would now be free, which was always a good time at the tennis club; not too busy but always someone ready to pair up for a game.
‘My goodness! It is Alessia isn’t it?’ The greeting dragged Alessia back to the present and twisting round in the direction of the voice she was greeted by the sight of a stunning, tall, slim lady, possibly forty-five to fifty with shoulder length blonde hair and a gorgeous even cocoa brown tan. Dressed in a tight, short white tennis dress with a cardigan draped over her shoulders, a white cap and trainers she was right out of fashion magazine. Alessia was slightly taken aback and had to think fast as she did not instantly recognise her.
‘It’s Carla,’ her friend came to the rescue just at the instant that Alessia’s memory dredged up the name from the past into the light
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